Typically, storage apparatuses, which include remote advanced copy functions for the purpose of protecting data from a failure (such as, accidents or the like) and quickly recovering the failure, have a “remote equivalent copy (REC)” function.
The REC is a copying function between storage apparatuses installed on remote sites. With the REC function, a volume may be copied (that is, replication) without a business server interposed between the remote storage apparatuses.
Typically, when a backup site is used as storage for data backup purpose, a server is not installed in the backup site.
However, if the backup site is used such that settings associated with local copying a piece of data, which is received from a main site, are made at the backup site, it is necessary to install a server separately in the backup site and a copy setting command is issued thereto.
However, installing the server only for the purpose of the settings associated with local copying the data will cause a problem in that operating costs increases.
The present invention is made in consideration of the problem discussed above and others existing with respect to typical storage systems. An object of the present invention is to provide a storage apparatus, a backup apparatus, a backup method, and a backup system capable of achieving local copying without installing a server in a backup site.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a storage apparatus, a backup apparatus, a backup method, and a backup system capable of re-creating a remote backup environment by copying only a necessary area even in a case where a failure has occurred in a disk during a remote backup process.